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It is the weekend, it is time for tools from Chuck – (Tool Monger will be at Maker Faire to!)

This week we looked at a “technicians’ bag” that’s perfect for assembling a basic tool kit for use around the house – just the ticket to keep tools from “disappearing” from your shop. And while we love circular saw guides for their portability, most of them are too short. We found one that handles cuts up to 52″ but assembles to extend up to 100″ – enough to handle a full-sized sheet of plywood. We checked out a set of uber-practical cargo blocks complete with rubber “teeth” spaced perfectly to fit into truck bed liner grooves; just stick ‘em in to haul boxes, then remove ‘em to slide in that sheet of plywood. Toolmonger readers also wrote in to tell us about Vise-Grip’s locking wrenches – different than the standard “Vise-Grips” and worth a look – and about their opinions on “lifetime tool warranties.” Firsthand reader experiences = good recommendations and good reading!

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I see the picture of the ‘parrot nose’ vise grips and smile.
as a mechanic for 27+ yrs and user of vise grips for the same, i own all three sizes. they are frequently at the top of the list to solve a problem. They do NOT chew the tips off the nut/bolt as you apply force.

applied to a rusty tubing fitting, it pushes on three faces. clamp it again on the on the other three flats, spray penetrant again, and rusty lines come apart instead of breaking. dont be shy about clamping down, but dont turn it too much at maximum clamp. back off , spray, turn.

no, i am not paid by irwin/vise grip. but if you see cheapa** chinese knockoffs of these locking pliers, know that they will let you down. buy the real thing. made in the USA!